If you have persistently elevated blood sugar in the morning, checking your blood sugar once during the night — around 2 or 3 a.m. — for several nights in a row will help you and your doctor determine if you have the dawn phenomenon or if there's another reason for an elevated morning blood sugar reading.

What you can do

Your doctor may recommend a number of options to help you prevent or correct high blood sugar levels in the morning:

Avoid carbohydrates at bedtime.

Adjust your dose of medication or insulin.

Switch to a different medication.

Adjust the time when you take your medication or insulin from dinnertime to bedtime.

Use an insulin pump to administer extra insulin during early-morning hours.

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